Should I Stay or Should I Go?
by JensonBensen
Summary: It's a Percabeth proposal! How did it happen? Will she say yes? What to the gods have to say? No seriously, I don't know... But, you should totally read this if you love Percabeth!
1. The Proposal

The two opponents had been sparing for twenty minutes and showed no signs of stopping. Their growing audience was held in rapture as the two circled each other, of ten unable to distinguish between the lightning fast sword of the man and the dagger of the woman. The spectators had assumed it would be a relatively quick fight, but they had clearly underestimated the two fighters.

"But it's a dagger," one person whispered, "and that's a _famous_ magical sword!"

"Yeah, but that's sort of the best thing about knife-fighters… They're constantly underestimated," another replied.

"Not to mention, those two have been fighting each other for years, they know each other's fighting style as well as they know their own," yet another said.

"Maybe, but he's one of the best sword fighters we have had in years!"

"Well she's one of the smartest!"

"He's got the curse of Achilles!"

"That's why they're only fighting to disarm!"

"Will you guy's shut up!" a fourth shouted, causing all of the people around him to turn around, "What? I really want to see the fight and you guys are distracting!"

"If you're so interested in the fight, you might want to look. I think it's about to finish." They all turned to see the two fighters struggling blade to blade, the girl trying to push the guy's sword toward his exposed neck.

"You are so going down, Seaweed Brain," I said, using my knife to force riptide an inch closer to his neck.

"Oh yeah?" he smiled, "and what makes you so sure?" Then, faster than I would have thought possible he released on the sword, allowing my knife to fall, and then flipping the sword under the knife, causing it to go flying. Then for good measure he swiped his left leg on the floor, causing me to fall straight on my butt. I looked up to see him with a stupid grin on his face, just asking to be removed. Naturally, I copied his move and causing him to join me on the ground. Unfortunately, it didn't work out quite as well for me as I'd hope because, instead of ending up embarrassed like I hoped, he just started laughing. Soon we were both laughing our heads off, getting a few wolf whistles from the crowd we hadn't noticed had piled into the arena.

I got up and tried to get the dust off of my jeans, turning to see him looking up at me with an intense expression.

I reached out my hand to help him get up and said, "Don't tell me your brain is so full of kelp that you can't even think."

He just scrunched up his forehead and said, "Hey, Annabeth, you want to get married?"

"I… What... um," in shock I accidently let go mid-pull, causing him to fall back down on the ground.

"Wow, you really know how to treat a guy," he said, chuckling. I watched hum get up, eyeing him suspiciously, not sure if I had ever seen him clearly before.

"Don't answer now," he looked at me, his bright eyes shining, "not that I'm sure you can. Just think about it o.k.? Make your pro-con list or whatever a child of Athena does and get back to me." He began to walk out of the arena, but stopped and turned around. In three long strides he reached me and placed a kiss on my cheek. "And just so you know, this isn't an ultimatum or anything. It's not like I'm saying say yes or we're over, not to mention, even if you decide to say yes, _it_ doesn't have to happen right away." I looked up into his eyes to see all mocking gone. His face was the definition of sincerity. Then he really did leave, whereas I stayed right where I was, completely frozen, though most definitely not immune to the whispering all throughout the arena.


	2. Friends' Perspective

_So this second chapter is going to be from the perspective of Thaila first and then Nico as they talk to their friend about Percy's proposal. Hope you enjoy! Also super flattered by some of y'all's responses! BIG cyber-hug to Bookninja15 and percabeth4evah! (They know why!)_

"Would you like to go see your friends?" I turned to Lady Artemis, very confused at this sudden question.

"My Lady?" I said.

"Well we're going to be in the New York area very soon and while I do not wish to have a prolonged stop at Camp Half-Blood, I see no problem with you and a few others going for a day or so."

"Really?" I had to admit, I was excited. I hadn't seen Annabeth in person for almost a year. Or Percy. Or Grover. Or Nico… O.k. there were a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while… I wouldn't stop being a hunter for anything, but it sure does cut down on the social life… Not that I care…

In the end, it was decided that I would take three other girls to camp and we would meet back up with the rest of the group three days later when they would come for a dinner and then we would all leave. The one thing I can't figure out is why the other three wanted to come. Of them, only one, a newer hunter named Sasha, had actually stayed at camp before becoming a hunter. The other two had seen the camp hundreds of times… I don't get it, but I have no intention of asking.

When I got to the camp it was the same old same old. There were some kids getting yelled at by the dryads for polluting, another getting treated for lava burn from the climbing wall, some Aphrodite kids checking themselves out, like I said pretty typical day. The three girls all separated to go explore while I walked down the ridiculously blue Big House to see Nico and Grover talking on the steps. They abruptly stopped when I walked up, Grover getting up to tackle me in a bear hug.

"Nice to see you too Grover," I said, trying to push him off of me. It had been a lot easier when he was smaller.

"Hey Thalia," Nico looked up to meet my eyes, "long time no see."

"Yeah it has been, sorry about that…" I looked down, "so um… Where are Percy and Annabeth," I smirked, "Cabin Three?" Grover and Nico looked at each other and a corner of Nico's mouth turned up while Grover frowned.

"Percy might be," Nico answered, you could tell he was trying not to laugh, "but the last I heard, Annabeth is in the arena depleting our dummy supply."

"Be nice," Grover smacked Nico on the arm, "it's a delicate situation!"

"Wait, what's going on?" I asked, watching as they once again shared a look.

"I don't know if that's really our story to tell…" Grover said as he took out an aluminum can and began to eat it.

"Yeah, you should go down to the arena and ask Annabeth," and then Nico started laughing.

I left the two of them there, worried about what was up with two of my best friends. When I got to the arena I found Annabeth attacking a dummy with her knife on the ground. She was yelling at it, punctuating every word with a slash.

"Stupid. Infuriating. Irresponsible. Seaweed-filled. Jerk!" stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. I started laughing, but thankfully she didn't hear me.

"I'm pretty sure that dummy is done hurting people now," I said, she turned but her glare melted into surprise when she realized it was me.

"Thalia! What are you doing here?" she asked, dummy still in hand though temporarily forgotten.

"Oh you know, Lady Artemis is in New York right now so she let some of us come and visit the camp," I sat down beside her, "So, what's new with you?" Her face immediately darkened and she looked back at the dummy.

"Not much," she answered through gritted teeth, "just a certain someone you know proposed."

"Wow, really?" I eyed the dummy and then said cautiously, "did you answer?"

"No. He wanted to give me time to think it over. Then he left! The idiot left!"

"Well did you have an answer to give then?"

"No… I didn't."

"Then what's the big problem with him leaving?"

"It's just… I don't know… He _proposed_!" she looked at me with slightly crazy eyes, saying proposed with extra force.

"I got that," I shifted to meet her eyes, "what do you think you're going to say?"

"I don't know," she admitted and then started laughing, "he proposed right after we had finished sparing. There I was trying to help him up off the ground and then…"

"He proposed," I supplied. She looked at me warily and nodded.

"He proposed," it came out as a whisper, but then she added with more force, "I dropped him right back down on the ground you know." She put her head down on her hands.

"Look, I'm sorry to cut this reunion short," I could tell she meant it, "but I think I'm going to go. I've just got to think this through." As she got up she squeezed my arm for assurance and I watched her walk out of the arena. I sighed and turned to the dead dummy.

"She might not know it yet," I said to him, "but I think we both know what her answer will be."

* * *

"It's going to be fine, Percy! You and Annabeth are destined for each other, anyone with eyes could see that!" I had been in Percy's cabin for a half hour, trying to calm him down. Grover had sent me here to talk to him after we had stopped fighting at the big house. I had asked him why he couldn't come, but he just mumbled something about a meeting. I suspected he was just too chicken.

"That's sort of sentimental for you, Nico. What happened to the old doom and gloom?" He said all of this through a pillow that was covering his face.

"Well the whole distraction thing didn't work so I thought I would try a pep talk," I said defensively.

He removed the pillow and looked at me, "I appreciate the effort, but I'm not sure you're a pep talk kind of a guy."

"Well, fine," I said, "I can just go."

"You don't have to do that," he said, but the pillow was back on his face.

I decided to stay, but not before I looked out the door to see a very upset looking Annabeth march to the beach. I couldn't decide if that was a good sign or not. I turned back to my upset cousin and then back to the disappearing Annabeth and thought there is no way she's going to say no. They just sort of belong together. I heard Percy groan. Well at least I think they do.


	3. A Chat With the Gods

_So here is another chapter! At the end of this one, should you read it all, I have a very important note for you! If you like this story, tis' very important that you read it and think about it!_

_Either way, thanks to: Bookninja15 (SO sweet and very committed) and booklover484 (your wish is my command)!_

After leaving Thalia back at the arena I marched straight to my cabin. When I got there only Malcolm and some of the newer campers were there. Malcolm was lying on his bed reading a large leather book. When he saw me he sat up and started to say, "Hey Annabeth! I was wond…" but he stopped after I gave him my worst glare.

"Still having Percy issues?" he asked. It was sweet in all, but I was not in the mood to have a relationship talk with my brother. The fact is, children of Athena were just not the best at the emotional problems.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. I'm just here for my laptop." I tried to be as kind as possible. I looked at him from the corner of my eye and had to suppress a laugh at the look of relief on my face. Finally, after shuffling through all of the papers on my bed, I found the laptop and turned to leave. I heard Malcolm mumble a good-bye, but I was already half way out the door.

I decided to go to the beach, I felt like the brackish air would help clear my head, not to mention, it's pretty much as close to Percy as I'm willing to get right now. I looked down at my laptop. So I know that when Percy suggested I make a pro-con list he was mostly joking, but I was getting so desperate that it was starting to sound like it might actually be a good idea. At least that was a plan, but that was before I got to the beach.

It took a moment for me to realize the significance of the man with jet-black hair and an obnoxious Hawaiian shirt sitting on the beach, fishing pole in hand, but when I did, I stopped cold.

"Lord Poseidon," my voice shook.

"You could just call me Poseidon."

"I suppose I could, but I don't think it would feel right." He laughed and patted the sand next to him. I just sighed and sat down, if a god wanted to speak to me, I suppose there was nothing I could do about it.

"Really it's not that bad speaking to me is it?" Dang the gods and their powers!

"Of course not! I'm just a bit nervous as to what you want to say given the circumstances." For a moment I was worried that he was insulted, but when I looked over I saw that he was laughing.

"So my son proposed," he said.

"I… Yes, yes he did."

"And you're not sure what to say," it wasn't a question. "If you don't mind me asking," he looked down at me, "Why is that, exactly?" I was at a complete loss for words. "Not that I mean you shouldn't have your reservations, of course. I'm just curious as to what yours are," he added, clearly sensing my discomfort.

Again he waited. We sat silently for a while, but if he was uncomfortable he didn't show it. I realized I was going to have to say something so I finally said, "I guess there is the age thing."

"Because you consider yourself to young," he said, again no question.

"Well yes, but he is too," it came out defensive.

"Oh to be sure, though, and please do not think I'm trying to convince you of anything, but may I ask what exactly you would be waiting for?" I had no answer to that.

"But it's also the timing of it! Percy and I… Well… We're going to be starting our lives soon. Finishing our educations, getting jobs… It just feels like a bad time to be married."

"Fair enough," it seemed odd he was agreeing with me. I was now even more nervous. "Is that your only reason?"

"Well, there's the god aspect to consider."

"You mean your mother and me?" I nodded, refusing to meet his eyes. "Well I assure you I am fine with whatever you decide," I looked up at him, taken aback by the obvious sincerity in his words. "Should you see yes, I would welcome you into my family with open arms. I've always thought you were very good to my son. But were you to say no, I also assure you, that you would feel no wrath from me. I am making the assumption that you will make this decision with the upmost care and, as such, know that what you will decide will be best for you. I cannot fault you for that." He shifted a little and then looked up at the sky. "As for your mother," he looked like he was about to laugh, "she is talking to my son as we speak."

"She's what?" I started to get up, suddenly very afraid for Percy, but Poseidon stopped me.

"I don't believe my son is any danger. Like me, your mother is just trying to discover more about this situation." I looked in the direction of the cabins, despite Poseidon's words I was still nervous.

"So, Annabeth, is there anything else causing your hesitance?" I looked back at him and sighed.

"He… he always leaves," I whispered. If Poseidon had been a human, he wouldn't have been able to hear me. I looked up and could see that this time I had managed to surprise him. "He doesn't mean to," I added, this time much louder, "but he just does. He'll go missing for a while or just be stupidly brave or… or… I don't know, but… but I just know that one day he's going to leave and… and…" I was crying now, which I absolutely hated. I could never handle crying in public.

"He won't come back," Poseidon finished, knowing that I wouldn't be able to myself.

"I know he won't mean to," I couldn't help but feel that I was begging for Poseidon's forgiveness as I spoke, "but it's going to happen." I waited for Poseidon to argue, but I could tell that he couldn't. I saw his shoulders slump. He knew it was true.

"There isn't much I can say about that," he sighed, "there is a very good chance that you are right."

"That's very helpful," I sniffed. He chuckled and then patted my back, it was probably the most human thing I'd ever seen a god do.

"I am afraid that it is up to you to decide what sacrifices you are willing to make, as I said, I came here with no intention of forcing you into a decision. However," I looked up to see a twinkle in his eye, "I can't help but think that you already have an answer, but are very afraid of what that answer will mean for you." I looked up into his eyes, the ones that were very familiar, but weren't, and we reached an understanding. He nodded in satisfaction and got up, wiping the sand off of his Bermuda shorts.

"Your mother will be arriving shortly," he smiled, "I'm sure you will be happy to know that my son survived the encounter." I smiled back at him. "Anyway, I think I will go speak to Percy for a moment. It was lovely to see you again Annabeth." I could have been wrong, but I think I heard hope in his voice. I watched as he walked away and then turned toward the ocean, lost in the rhythmic movement of the waves. After a few minutes I heard someone walk up behind me.

"Hello, mother," I said, turning to see a surprised look on my mother's face.

"Hello, Annabeth. I've just spoken to Perseus," she said as she sat down next to me.

"So I've heard. Did it go well?" As I watched her face, I noticed it seemed conflicted.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that. I do think that in _some ways_ I might have been wrong about Perseus, though in others, I was unfortunately very accurate."

"Oh?" I asked, though I partially regretted it. I had heard many a diatribe from my mother on, according to her, the many faults of Percy.

"Well, I was definitely right about how impulsive he is," she picked up a strand of my hair and tucked it behind my ear. "Aren't you worried that this all might be a little hasty?"

"I wouldn't be your daughter if I wasn't."

She sighed, "Oh my Annabeth." I looked up at her in shock. It was the most tender thing I had ever heard her say.

"What?" she asked, but her eyes were dancing, "as much as I hate to admit it, I think the relationship between Perseus and Poseidon has been affecting the other gods as well, and that," she scowled, "it is probably for the best." I couldn't help but laugh.

"Now Annabeth, I'm not going to pretend that I don't think you're a little young or that the marriage is probably imprudent in several different ways, but I think," and she looked me right in the eye, "if it's what you want, it might not be the worst thing in the world if you said yes." I was completely shocked. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined her saying that.

"You… You what?"

"Oh don't sound so surprised," she said while laughing, "he is not the absolutely _worst_ person you could choose to spend your life with, there are better of course but…"

"I… uh… well that's very nice of you, mother." She stood up and I thought she was about to leave, but then she turned around and looked straight at me.

"Though Annabeth, know this," her tone was deadly serious, "if you choose to marry him, do not think that this means I will expect any less of you. I want all of my children to do great things, and you, my dear, could do greater still. Please do not let a man stop you from achieving that."

"I… of course mother," again I was mildly shocked. Her steely gray eyes were boring into mine and I suddenly wondered if I ever looked like that. She nodded at me and I felt like I had just made a promise more binding than those done on the River Styx.

"I will leave you to your thoughts, dear. I'm quite curious as to what your answer will be." I looked away as she assumed her godly form and with a flash she was gone, leaving me completely alone on the beach. I realized it would be dark soon and it was starting to get cold. What was worse, as I looked out at the dark water, I also realized I really missed Percy.

_Okay, question time! So here we are, very close to the end (the next time we see Annabeth she WILL be giving Percy an answer) and I, the lowly author, want y'alls opinion on whether or not the last chapter should be the last. Since you guys are the omnipotent readers you get some options. First, do you want a chapter like this one except instead of Annabeth talking to Poseidon it will be Percy talking to Athena? It could be interesting, plus you'd get to read about Percy being all worried about Annabeth's answer. If no, than the next chapter will be Annabeth giving her answer to Percy. The other question is whether or not you want me to do a few chapters afterwards. If you say yes I would probably continue until the wedding. __**TO GIVE YOUR OPINION REVIEW **or (__if you're lazy/I figure out how) I may or may not make a poll on my profile._


	4. The Other Chat With the Gods

_So all things being equal, it looks like the majority of you want to find out exactly what Athena said to Percy in his cabin. Jenson is pleased at your response! Also, it looks like I'll also be doing a few chapters up to the wedding! So thank you for your kind words and I promise that I'll put up the next chapter as fast as possible for all of you that didn't really want this chapter._

I watched Nico leave my cabin and sighed in relief. I liked the kid and all, two wars have a way of really bringing people together, but I think it'll be much easier to have a meltdown about this whole proposal thing if I'm alone. Seriously, what was I thinking? I mean, don't get me wrong I love Annabeth, in fact, she's sort of the best thing that's ever happened to me, but how could I… oh gods… I proposed. I, Percy Jackson, proposed. I'm young, financially unstable, a demigod… wow, when did I start sounding like an adult? Oh this is bad… just so bad. She's not going to say yes… and she'd be right. Oh gods, _what was I thinking!_ Okay, let's be honest, I WASN'T THINKING… I guess Annabeth would say I never do, but this time… Okay this time I really messed up.

"My daughter might be upset to hear that."

I would love to tell you I handed Athena's arrival gracefully. That I looked up, saw her, and then greeted her calmly, politely, you know all those things that a potential mother-in-law would want from their potential son-in-law, but I didn't. Instead, I jerked so forcefully out of bed that I landed on floor with a loud thud. Take it from me, if I weren't invulnerable, my whole backside would be blue. When I looked up I saw the Goddess of Wisdom herself staring down at me. Her lips were pursed and for the most part her expression was stern, but I would have sworn I saw the hint of laughter in her eyes.

"I… Athena…" crap, I just called a goddess by her first name, "I, um… It's great to see you."

She sighed, "Well, if nothing else, I suppose my visits to you are amusing, though hardly intellectually stimulating." Her tone was completely expressionless. "So tell me, Perseus, are you going to stay on the floor all afternoon?" I winced when she said my name, there was something decidedly intimidating about the way she said it.

"I… Of course not…" I didn't need a mirror to know my face was beet-red.

"If I didn't know any better, Perseus, I would say I make you nervous." I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, she just laughed.

"Not at all, my lady, seeing you is a pleasure as always."

"Trying to… What is the phrase? Ah, suck up, yes… Trying to suck up, Perseus?" seriously, how did she make my name sound like a threat? Then she smiled, "I would think it might be a little late for that, hmm… yes, I would imagine it's _much_ too late for that." She looked directly into my eyes and I gulped. Now I'm not really known for being cowardly you know, but I swear there is nothing scarier than Athena focusing all of her attention on you. When she does, you just get this feeling that she can see straight through you, that she knows everything about you and all that you are or were or will be, even worse, you just know she's disappointed.

"Is there a reason for this honor, my lady?" Okay that was a stupid question.

"Well, Perseus," she paused to watch me flinch, "is there anything you can think of that we might have to talk about?"

"Ummm…" Seriously, that's the best I could come up with?

"Well said. So nothing big has happened with regards to your relationship with my daughter?"

"Well, yesterday I… and then… see there was…"

"My, my, Perseus! Do you need some help?" My brilliant response sounded very similar to a squeak. A masculine, heroic squeak, mind you, but still a squeak. "Did you propose perhaps?"

"You… umm… you heard?" For the first time in my life I wish I could drown, the fountain in the corner was looking pretty good right about now.

"Well, despite what you might have heard, we gods do keep ourselves quite informed." She paused, hoping I might say something, but when she realized it was futile she continued, "So here we are, you a very young, very impulsive," she coughed, "hero and me the mother of the girl you proposed to. Yes, it's quite an interesting situation."

"Interesting," I repeated weakly. I avoided her eyes. My cabin suddenly felt very small. It was like her godly aura was overpowering the room. I don't know how much more of it I could take. Then, suddenly, the feeling receded. I looked up at her startled, but she wasn't looking at me. Instead, she stared out at the window, looking toward the beach. She looked pained.

"Why?" she whispered, "Why did you do it?"

"I'm not sure. It just… it just, I guess it just felt like the right thing to do at the time."

"And now?"

"Well I don't really regret it, not the intention behind it. I'm scared out of my mind that she'll say no, but I know I love her more than anything in the world, that she's the one, so in that way I wouldn't take it back." I was on a role. She looked directly at me, now her expression pensive, I took that as a good time. "Look, I've told you this time and again. I love your daughter. I want to build a life with her. I know that it was kind of crazy for me to ask her when we're so young, but with lives like ours, it seems crazy to wait. I didn't ask because I though marriage seemed like a fun idea at the time, I did it because… because," I faltered. She was looking at me with steadfast eyes, willing me to continue. "Because, the world is crazy. We have more and more kids coming here every day just so can get a slight leg up in _surviving_, not living well, not in being happy, but _surviving_. The youngest here are five, Annabeth got here when she was seven. Not to mention, in less than a decade, we have face _two _wars where the fate of the world hung in the balance. The entire world! And the thought of that… Well the thought of that makes me crazy. And the thought of living in this world, without being as bound as I possibly can to the person I love more than anything else… that just seems… I… there's not even a word," I glanced up at her, "well I'm sure there's a word, you probably know it…"

"Perseus."

"You probably know all the words. A lot of languages too…"

"Perseus," she said with more insistence. "You're babbling." I looked at her and she seemed paler than normal. I waited for her to speak. Nothing came. We sat in awkward silence. Finally she sighed, "I don't know what to make of you. I'm still not sure you're the best person for my daughter, but it seems she had chosen you and you have certainly chosen her," another sigh, "what's worse, I fear I can do nothing about it." I opened and closed my mouth stupidly.

"You are too young of course," she nodded to herself, "and impulsive, I've always thought that. And I certainly didn't envision Annabeth's fate to be that of a homemaker, but it seems…"

"What?" She stared at me. "Annabeth a homemaker?" I snorted, imagining Annabeth in a wide skirt and pearls. "She would never let that happen, I would never let that happen. It's never been my intention to stand in her way. I want her to build great things, achieve her goals. All this proposal was about is making sure I'll always have a permanent spot in the cheering section."

She tilted her head to the side, "You know, I think you mean that."

"I do," I affirmed, putting as much force and sincerity as I could into the words.

"I think we're done here," she proceeded to get up while I sat there stunned. "It was an interesting chat, Perseus," and for the first time it didn't sound harsh, "I think we will be seeing each other very soon." I nodded, still in a state of shock. A few seconds later my dad walked in.

"Percy, my boy, how are you doing?" his booming voice bounced off the walls helping to clear my head.

"Fine, I think," but I wasn't sure at all.

"You look a bit green actually."

"Do I?"

"Yes, now look Percy, I can't stay for very long, but I just wanted to tell you that you have my full support. Annabeth is an amazing young woman and I think the both of you are lucky to have found each other," he cleared his throat, "Either way, I have a gift for you. Even if it should happen that you can't use it now, I'm confident you will soon." He placed a small package on the desk that was pushed against the wall and then went to rest a hand on my shoulder. Then, quick as he had come, he was out the door and I saw a flash from somewhere outside. That was my dad's style, short and sweet.

I numbly walked over to the desk and picked up the package. It took me several minutes to open as my fingers shook so badly, but when I finally did I found three small items. They were rings. One was a simple silver wedding band meant for a man. When I looked at closely, I saw waves engrained into the metal, they almost seemed to move. The other two were obviously part of a set. There was what looked to be an engagement ring, also silver with a stone the color of the sea surrounded by silver stones at its center, and then another simple silver band that locked into place.

I swallowed and placed the rings down on the table. Then I stumbled over to my bed and ran a hand through my hair. I wasn't sure what to make of my conversations with either Athena or Poseidon, but I was fairly confident I would be getting my answer soon. I decided to lie back in bed and try for a nap, anything to take my mind off of Annabeth and the future. Just as I was about to drift off, I heard a faint knocking at the door. It was growing louder. I stared at it for a moment, too scared to move, but I finally got up and reached a hand out to let whoever it was on the other side in.

_There you go, another chapter down, and I promise you an answer in the next chapter! Lots o' love, Jenson!_


	5. Answer

_You guys are so AMAZINGLY sweet! And awesome! And amazing! And, and, and! Seriously, I love all of the support! I thought this would just be a fun story to tell, but the fact that it is entertaining a group of total strangers is just astounding to me! Anyway, this chapter is all FLUFF, but would you really want it any other way?_

**Percy P.o.V.**

My heart was racing as I opened my door, but when I saw Annabeth standing outside of my cabin, it stopped. There she was, the once person who had complete and total power over me, standing there, about to make me the happiest guy in world or… I'm not sure how to even finish that… If she says no, I don't know what I'd do.

"Percy are you o.k.? You look kind of pale and you have this really sad expression on your face." She reached up to touch my face, but hesitated. She sighed as she awkwardly dropped her hand to her side. She blushed and refused to look directly at me. This was not going to go well.

"Do you want to come in, sit maybe?" I turned around and walked back to my bed, suddenly terrified to look behind and see if she was following. I sat down on my bed and watched her frozen in indecision. Her eyes swept the room as she tried to figure out where the best place for her to be was. She finally decided on right next to me. It wasn't much, but it gave me some hope. We sat there in awkward silence and did everything we could to avoid looking at each other.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore and said gently, "Annabeth is there a reason you're here?"

She looked at me in surprise and I realized that she had fallen so deep into her thoughts she might not have even been aware of my existence. She had to blink a few times to clear her head and then tilted her head to the right. "Percy… I… You know why I'm here."

"Do I?" it was sort of childish, but I felt I needed to hear her say it.

"Percy, I don't want to play this game, you _know_ why I'm here."

"Yeah," I nodded, "Yeah, I do… Well?"

"Gods, I've been asked that a lot today! Pretty much everyone I've seen as asked about it," she put her head in her hands and I really wanted to try and help comfort her, but I think that might spook her even more. Then she said through her hand, "Why does everyone they're entitled to all of the details of our relationship?"

I had to laugh at that, "Probably because they've all pretty much been there for all of it. Every time we fought, they had to help us fix it. Every time we've made up," she looked up into my eyes, "they've had to put up with us being very… let's just say sappy." After a moment she smiled a well, and I felt it was safe to put an arm around her. For a moment she tensed, but then finally relaxed.

"I guess I can see your point but this…" she waved her hand as if she was trying to conjure the word, "It's all just so personal… It's just…"

"Why do you do that?" I asked, cutting her off.

"Do what?" I could tell she was confused.

"Refuse to say proposal."

"I don't!"

"Yes you do."

She crossed her arms and glared at me, "well, why do you have to be so nonchalant about this whole thing? I mean you…" she faltered on the word proposed, which, I have to admit, made me want to laugh, "Your future rides on my answer and you're acting like you don't care!"

"Annabeth! How could you say that? I've been freaking out all day! Ask Nico! Better yet ask Grover, I'm sure he got a kick out of all of the emotions he's been feeling today!" my voice was raised and I was about to keep going, but I realized that wasn't really going to get me anywhere so instead I said, "Look, this probably isn't what you came here to do and I don't want to fight. Why don't you just tell me your answer and then we'll go from there." I looked down at her and forced my face to look calm. I didn't want to put any pressure on her.

**Annabeth P.o.V.**

When did Percy get so mature? Seriously, where was I when this happened? Why wasn't he as discombobulated** (*)** as I was? In fact, why wasn't he more so? He's the guy! He's the one that asked! But no, instead he's just sitting there giving perfectly rational responses to all of my crazy ones. Is that messed up or what? I glanced up at him, and frowned when I saw him calmly waiting for a response. SERIOUSLY, why am I the only one who feels like they are about to explode? I'm a logical daughter of Athena; he's the son of the sea! The sea, which is known for being restless and excitable and... and… and. It was maddening and just plain unfair!

"Annabeth," he said gently, "Why don't you tell me what you're thinking?" I glared at him, why is he being so nice about everything, when I'm being so erratic about everything? I know I'm not being fair, but… Well who said I had to be! He's the idiot who proposed!

Finally I sighed and said, "I think, if I tilt my head and squint my eyes, I can almost see why you asked me. I mean, if I try really hard, I can almost understand, but seriously, Percy, _what_ were you thinking? Do you know how young we are? Do you know how impractical you're being?" I got louder with each question.

"Yes," he answered. That's it. No explanation. No defense, just yes. I felt like hitting him, for what I wasn't entirely sure. When I looked up, I saw him looking back at me with the same calmness as before. We had a sort of staring contest, but I guess I lost so I continued talking.

"It's just all so crazy, you asking. We'll be going to college soon, most likely in different parts of the country."

"Well yeah, but it's not like we were planning on breaking up," he pause and he suddenly looked very worried, "were we?"

"No, of course we weren't seaweed brain," I made sure to emphasize the seaweed brain part. "But it's not just that, it's…" but I stopped when I looked at the desk at the back of his cabin. I got out of the bed and walked toward it, but stopped when I saw three rings next to a torn envelope. I heard Percy's breath get caught in his throat, but I kept walking. I picked up the rings and examined them. They were beautiful. With a start I realized I could easily picture myself wearing the two that were clearly meant for a woman. In fact, I could see myself wearing those rings for the rest of my life. In an instant I saw myself accepting his offer, saw the first ring being slipped on to my finger, then the second one a few months after.

My fantasy continued after that, until I had an entire life built in my head. It was a nice life, an amazing one actually. There was laughter and joy, but I sensed there would be great sadness too, there will always be sadness in life, but it was the kind of life a person would be proud to live, the kind where a person wouldn't have too many regrets. I even imagined kids, I couldn't quite make out their faces, but I got the distinct feeling they were very real, or at least they had the potential to be.

I put the rings down and as quick as the other vision, I then saw myself telling him no. I saw our relationship progress until it had gone as far as it could without making that final step forward. I saw the rings on some other woman's finger, her face as undistinguishable as the kids had been. I saw Percy's life without me, and then I saw mine without him. It wasn't terrible, in many ways it was just as good as the other, but as I continued to imagine this life I could never shake the feeling that there was something different about it. As I watched myself collect my impressive diploma or start my own architectural firm or marry some other man, it all felt slightly wrong, like the world had shifted a few degrees to the left causing my perspective to always be slightly off.

As I turned to face Percy, I realized I was being given a choice to decide what life I wanted, that I would always be able to pinpoint this moment as an important turning point in my life. I suddenly felt like the entire world was holding its breath as it waited for an answer. And I also knew I had complete freedom to choose any direction I wanted. I knew that with either choice I could be happy, it would just be an entirely different kind of happiness for either. I walked back to the bed and kneeled in front of him so I could see his face directly. Then I put my hand to his cheek. His mask of composure was completely gone, replaced with deep anxiety. A v had appeared between his eyebrows so I used my thumb to try and smooth it out. Then I kissed him. I pulled apart and studied his face. While I had succeeded in relaxing his forehead, I could still see the worry in his eyes.

Keeping my hand on his face, I whispered, "The thing of it is, despite how crazy you are, and despite how foolish you proposal was," I smiled as I emphasized proposal, watching a slight smile appear on Percy's face, "I'm not sure I can say no." His eyes widened, and I looked straight into them. For a moment I was floating out in the middle of the ocean, but I had never felt so safe. "So I guess," again I smiled, "with that in mind, I have no choice but to say yes."

"Oh," he said, I would have teased him, but I could tell he was in such shock it wouldn't have registered anyway. I walked back to the desk and grabbed the ring with the stone the color of the sea at its center and then back to him. Again I kneeled in front of him. I opened his hand and put the ring in it. He looked at me, but still said nothing.

"So Seaweed Brain, you gonna put the ring on or not?" I asked, loving the adorable confused look on his face.

"You're sure right?" he asked. He looked so serious I just had to laugh.

"More sure than I've ever been about anything," I affirmed, the look on his face was so tender there were suddenly tears in my eyes. Then he grabbed my left hand, looked me right in the eye, and slipped the ring on my third finger. He brought his hands to my face, using his thumbs to brush away my tears.

"I love you, Annabeth Chase," he said.

"I hope so," and he laughed. Then we kissed, it was kind of perfect. It was a kiss filled with so much hope. It was a kiss I knew would only ever be meant for me, and one I knew would be mine until the day came when we would be parted.

When the kiss finished, I looked into his eyes and said, "Oh and Percy, for the record, I love you too."

_So I know it's the puffiest thing EVER written, but I just can't help it with this couple! They are TOO adorable! Also, there will be at least two more chapters…_

**_*- Shout out to a certain reviewer... They KNOW who they are!_**


	6. Laughter with Friends

_So I COULD make a bunch of excuses for my LONG absence OR I could just get on with the story... Completely up to you… Oh you would like the story? Good! Let's get going shall we?_

_SERIOUSLY THOUGH, super suPER SUPER sorry!_

_Disclaimer: FANfiction!_

_For the record: In the last chapter SHE FINALLY SAID YES! But no one knows! SO this chapter we're going to push the rewind button and partake in some DRAMATIC IRONY! Don't worry though, the couple will show up soon!_

_Also: italics signify quotes from previous chapter; **bold** signify emphasis_

Nico left Percy's cabin after spending an hour attempting to calm him down, emphasis on attempting. He sighed, wishing he could have done more for him. The truth was, as confident as he had been that there was no way Annabeth would turn Percy down, the long wait and Percy's gloomy demeanor was starting to worry him. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more scared he got.

"Hey it's my other favorite cousin," Nico turned to see Thalia a few yards behind.

"That's an unusually warm greeting from you," Nico replied and then added, "Pine cone face."

"You know, I saw you over here and thought why not go talk to Nico, I don't get to see him much, but then you had to go and ruin a perfectly good moment! Now I remember **why **I don't see you much!" She ended her speech with a shock on Nico's shoulder, causing him to wince.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, holding up his arms in surrender, "I bow to the mighty huntress, all powerful daughter of Zeus."

"That's more like it!" Thalia slung her arm around Nico and they began walking in companionable silence.

After a few minutes Nico finally asked, "So how's Annabeth doing?" Nico turned to see Thalia's face fall.

"Well I guess she's alright… Though the dummy's probably having a bad day," she added with a snort. "And Percy?"

"Oh well he's having a meltdown, pretty much what you'd expect, you know." Thalia laughed in response.

"I'm kind of scared for them," she added in a small voice.

For a moment he was quiet, finally saying, "I am too. What if she says no?"

"Do you think Percy would keep his promise, you know, telling Annabeth that he would go with whatever she decides?" They shared a look and then laughed, both knowing Percy would do anything to keep Annabeth happy.

Then Nico got very serious and said, "But it won't be the same." Thalia's face fell.

"I know," she sighed, "getting over that would be hard for anyone… And if they were to break up, well that would be hard for everyone." Again, they both laughed.

"When did this camp get so invested in one relationship?" he asked. Before she could reply they suddenly saw Grover rushing up to them.

"Have you guys heard anything?" Grover bleated.

"Um… Grover, wouldn't you know better than us?" Thalia brought a finger to her temple, "Empathy link and everything?"

He grimaced and said, "Gods, don't remind me! I've done everything I can without actually blocking the link and Percy's emotions are still overwhelming!"

"That bad," she asked sadly.

"That bad," he affirmed. The three friends were silent, staring at each other.

"Look," Nico suddenly said, pointing at a figure rushing toward cabin three. They all breathed in sharply when the unknown person walked up to the door and knocked, familiar blonde hair thrown into sharp relief by the light of the cabin. They watched, bodies tensed as the door opened and Annabeth walked in.

"Well," Nico finally said, "regardless of what happens next, everything is about to change."

"No kidding," Grover added weakly.

Then Thalia grabbed both of them by the arms and started dragging them to Percy's cabin.

"Wait, Thalia, we can't just spy on them, this is a serious moment, **trust me **I know!" Thalia rolled her eyes at Grover and then turned to Nico.

"You got a problem with spying?" she asked, eyebrows raised, finishing her sentence with the sound of electricity crackling in the air. Nico made no reply. Thalia, seeing this as a yes, continued on to the cabin. The three got as close as they could to the building catching every few words. Every once and a while the two demi-gods would try and catch the satyr's expression, hoping to get a clue as to how the conversation was going.

"_Well yeah, but it's not like we were planning on breaking up, were we?"_

_"No, of course we weren't seaweed brain…"_

"She stopped speaking," Nico hissed, causing Thalia to hit him.

"We go that, thanks."

"What does that mean?" asked Grover.

"I'm not sure but I bet if we just **stay quiet** we'll find out!"

After a few agonized minutes the two inside the cabin started speaking.

"_The thing of it is, despite how crazy you are, and despite how foolish you proposal was,"_ there was a pause, _"I'm not sure I can say no,"_ another pause, _"So I guess, with that in mind, I have no choice but to say yes."_

Thalia grabbed Nico's arm and turned to him, there were tears in her eyes.

"_Oh"_

Nico and Grover laughed while Thalia muttered idiot under her breath.

"_So Seaweed Brain, you gonna put the ring on or not?"_

Again Thalia called Percy an idiot, this time slightly more audible.

"_You're sure right?"_

"Gods he's thick!" Grover yelped when Thalia shocked him, but if the two lovers heard it, they showed no indication.

"_More sure than I've ever been about anything."_

"_I love you, Annabeth Chase."_

"_I hope so." _

"Are you crying Thali," Nico was cut short by a punch from Thalia.

"_Oh and Percy, for the record, I love you too."_

Then there was silence and the three realized that they should probably leave before they got caught. Unfortunately, before they could escape, Percy said, "So do you think those three idiots have left yet?"

"Probably not," Annabeth answered, laughing.

"Should we invite them in?"

"Good question, maybe we should ask them… Hey! You three want to come in and stop hiding in the bushes?"

"Yeah it's a bit on the creepy side really!" added Percy.

Nico, Thalia, and Grover gave each other a guilty look and proceeded to enter the cabin. Once inside they found their two friends sitting up on the bed with Percy's arms wrapped around Annabeth. They both looked up expectantly.

"I'm sooooo happy for you guys!" Grover tackled the two on the bed. Annabeth, after prying Grover off of herself (there was no hope for Percy), looked at Thalia and Nico and patted the bed. They gave each other a you-first-look and then, after a small standoff, both relented and jumped onto the bed simultaneously. The five friends spent the next hour laughing for no particular reason, just enjoying each other's company.

_So I PROMISE that the next chapter will be up soon! Seriously, I'm going to work really hard to get the next one up! Also, **You are cordallyinvited to a Percabeth Wedding! Arrive here at on April... ok well I'm not quite sure about the date! The point is, IT IS COMING!**_


	7. The Beach and a Meeting of the Council

_This is a present to you, from me, for by irresponsible tardiness! Hope you like it! REVIEW PLEASE!_

The news of the engagement worked through the camp like wild fire. In fact, Percy and Annabeth probably only actually told four people, but, evidently, that was enough. The couple couldn't go anywhere without hearing whispering or giggling, though they certainly tried. Finally, about a week after Annabeth accepted Percy's proposal, the two were fed up. They made it clear that, on no uncertain terms, they were going down to the beach where no one was allowed to disturb them, no exceptions. On any other day they might have been annoyed by the wolf whistles, but they were already too far annoyed.

The two walked to the beach and sat down on the sand a few feet away from the water. Annabeth had been ranting for the better part of the last hour. To help, Percy had been rubbing circles on her back. It wasn't working.

"Don't they understand privacy!" she shouted, "It would be one thing if they're were congratulating us, but they're just treating us like a new exhibit at the Met!"

"Hmm… I never really saw most of the campers as art museum types," he said, hoping a joke might lighten the mood. Instead, she just turned to him and rolled her eyes.

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"Well," he paused to kiss her, "if I'm being completely honest," another kiss, "and we both know that I'm a very," kiss, "honest," kiss, "individual," kiss, "that not much bothers me these days." He grabbed her left hand and laced his fingers with hers, "There's just something about seeing you with those rings on." Annabeth shifted so that she was now sitting with her back toward the ocean, locking her eyes on her fiancé.

"Is that so?" she teased, bringing their interlaced hands to her lips, "You know, by my calculations, you owe me two kisses."

"Well I never let a debt go unpaid."

"Seaweed Brain, you are so ridiculously corny sometimes!"

"Would you like me to stop?"

"Not even for a second," she admitted and then kissed him deeply. When they finished, the couple laid back on the sand with Annabeth's head resting on Percy's chest. They didn't say much, but then they really didn't need to, having each other was enough.

* * *

"That is SO the cutest thing I've ever seen. This is exactly why they are one of my favorite couples," Aphrodite conjured a handkerchief and dabbed her heavily made-up eyes, "Just so adorable."

"Are you really this simple?" Athena asked incredulously.

"Now Athena," Hermes chastised, "Besides, I thought you had made your peace with those two."

"It comes and goes," she replied through gritted teeth, "I have admitted that she could do worse, even that I may have been…" her voice faltered.

"Sorry what was that?" Apollo asked. The other God's sat up, suddenly very curious as to what Athena was about to say.

"Yes Athena," Poseidon's eyes twinkled in amusement, "Please do continue."

She glared at him and finally said, "There is a small **chance** that I **might** have been wrong about your son. He isn't the **worst** hero we've seen… And he's not **overly** stupid… A passable human… For one of your sons of course," she added, smiling sweetly.

"Oh yes, of course, my children are notoriously awful. They just save the world on occasion, you know, when they can fit it in to their schedule." The other gods laughed at Poseidon's comment, curious to see what Athena would do. The two gods stared at each other, power radiating from the both of them. For a moment, the gods worried that at any second the pair might come to blows, but then Poseidon burst out laughing.

"So are you truly not happy for you daughter then?" he asked, "Because I think, based on her answer, she certainly believes that this will make her happy, so it seems that you should…"

"I need no lecture from the likes of you!"

"Ah my dear niece, you will find it quite impossible to ruin my mood today, though," he added, "you do certainly seem to be trying."

"Enough!" Zeus declared, effectively ending any conversation between the two, "We must discuss this matter."

"Discuss, Brother?" Poseidon asked.

"Yes make sure that the council approves."

"I was not aware that such approval was needed."

"In most cases no, but with two demi-gods with considerable power of their own…" Zeus began stroking his beard, "yes, I think there is much to discuss."

Suddenly the last of the major gods arrived: Hades.

"Glad to see you could make it Hades," Zeus said begrudgingly.

Hades smirked and said, "It is nice to see you too brother." Hades then conjured up a seat for himself, taking a moment to nod at Poseidon. Thought it was not always readily apparent the relationship between the God of the Sea and the Lord of the Dead and improved immensely, almost enough to call them close. Many speculated it had much to do with the friendship between their sons.

"It occurs to me, brother," Hades finally said, "that, having gotten to know Perseus, it really won't matter what mandate we pass down. I rather suspect he will, at least in this matter, do as he pleases." A few of the gods, namely the ones who like Percy, laughed. Hades looked at Poseidon momentarily, trying to judge if he had offended him in some way, but instead, Poseidon smiled with a proud look in his eyes.

"I must admit, I quite agree with Hades. My son seems to have a talent for ignoring practicality when his loved ones are involved."

"A problem we've come to know all too well," Athena said with her eyes closed.

"The punk wouldn't dare defy us!" Ares yelled. An awkward silence took over the room as each of the gods came to the conclusion that, if Annabeth was involved, Percy wouldn't even hesitate disobeying them. They all found it mildly unsettling.

"He wouldn't if we threatened his beloved," Hera mused. She paled however when she saw the expression of several of the gods around her.

"You're not suggesting…" Athena began.

"Peace, peace," Hera held her hands up, "I was just saying that we shouldn't worry too much about the boy, he could be easily stopped. You've said so yourself, his weakness has never been a much of a secret." Hera raised her chin, daring the others to challenge her. None did, however, though most were still shocked by her seemingly cold heart.

"Regardless, how do we feel about this? Athena, Poseidon, you are the parents. I assume both of you have no intentions of ending the relationship," Zeus once again forced the gods to focus on the business at hand.

"None at all, I have never hidden my love for Annabeth. I believe they will both make each other extremely happy," there was silence as the gods considered Poseidon's sincerity. If there was any doubt he loved the boy, it was gone now.

After a moment they turned to Athena who sighed and said, "I have given them both my approval."

The council meeting went very quickly after that. One by one the other gods gave their approval. Apollo with a haiku, Aphrodite with several delicate sniffles, Hephaestus a strong nod, Hermes couldn't get a word in between Martha and George, but when he finally silenced them he too said yes, Demeter said yes and then gave a bored sigh, Hades agreed, so did Hestia, Dionysus, like Demeter, also seemed bored, but did manage to give his blessing to "Peter and Annie", Artemis said she had great respect for both parties and so gave her hearty consent, even Ares could think of no reason to say no, though he loved to see Percy miserable. Finally, all eyes landed on Zeus, who, after a short pause said, "I suppose I approve of the marriage," then he stood up, "So ends the meeting, let it be on the record that through a unanimous vote, the demi-gods, Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase have the full permission of the council to become husband and wife."

With that declaration the meeting soon disbanded with only Poseidon and Athena left in the room. The two looked at each other and sighed.

"In all seriousness, are you truly upset at this turn of events or…" but Poseidon never finished his sentence.

"No, I'm not really. I'm not entirely sure what I feel, but I believe with time, I could really come to approve."

"I'm glad," Poseidon said, "I would hate to think that our feud might stand in the happiness of our children." Athena turned to look at Poseidon, but found that he was gone. She sighed as she looked at the now empty room. She waved a hand in the air and suddenly saw a picture of her daughter and her fiancé. They were on a beach, she was asleep in his hands, looking more peaceful than Athena had seen really ever seen her. Yes, she thought, perhaps I really could come to approve of this.

_So there you are! Can you hear the bells? The WEDDING BELLS! Wait, you can? Um... I'm not sure it's entirely healthy for you to be hearing bells in your head... Perhaps you should get that checked out... Anyway, if i was MEAN I would impose a review requirement before I post the next chapter... Something like 80 reviews... So I guess the question is, DO YOU THINK I'M MEAN? DO YOU PUNK!_

_Oh also, just because I'm super proud of myself, neither of the two chapters I just posted were pre-written! I sat down and wrote two chapters all for you! And you say I don't love you, you foxy reader you! _


	8. SeventyTwo Hours

_Just one last look at the pre-wedding couple... Nerves and everything... PROMISE THE WEDDING WILL BE IN NEXT CHAPTER!_

We once again found ourselves at the beach (it really was the only place we could go to get any sort of peace… I mean unless you count the gods, but they'll find you anywhere so we never do…) when my completely exasperated fiancé said, "So we're sure that we want to get married, right?"

"Well it's certainly on my to-do list," I replied, rolling my eyes as the complete 180 we had undergone. I mean Percy was the one who proposed! He was the one who was saying all the reassuring things about not worrying about other people and just focusing on the future, but ask him a question about the flowers and suddenly the whole thing's off. Men. I laughed when I realized how cliché I sounded. When did I become the kind of girl who cared about flowers?

"What's so funny?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh you know me and my fine appreciation of irony."

"Sure… Sure… So anyway, we definitely have to get married right?"

"O.K. that's it!" I turned around so I could look at him directly and poked him on the chest, "If you, Percy "_Seaweed Brain"_ Jackson, mention calling off the wedding one more time, I'll…"

"Call off the wedding," he finished with a satisfied smirk. I smacked him on the shoulder and turned back to the ocean, sitting on the sand with Percy for a backrest.

"And you better savor your little victory there because once we're married, you'll be experiencing a whole lot of losses." He laughed into my hair.

"Because the wife is always right?" he asked.

"Exactly!"

"Now tell me, is that something that's written into the marriage license or are we just going to include that in the vows?"

"Hmmm… I think it will just have to be one of those implicit rules, though…" I turned to face him again and smiled evilly.

"Oh gods, you've got that look."

"How about this, Mr. Jackson: why don't we go to the arena, finish what you so rudely interrupted with your little proposal," he scoffed, "and _if_ you win, I'll agree to let you win every once and awhile."

His lips twitched, "And if I lose?"

"Oh, well in that case you will actually have to say _in the vows_ that I am and will always be right!" He through his head back and laughed.

"You do know I already beat you right? I meant the fight was over when I (clears throat) interrupted with my little proposal."

"Well than you should have no problem with fighting me again! Unless of course you think it was just a fluke… I mean if that were true, I understand why you wouldn't want to fight." I watched as he closed his eyes and sighed, thoroughly enjoying the inner turmoil so evident on his face.

"Maybe I just don't want to mess up my soon-to-be-wife so close to the wedding? There are only three days until the big day." I could tell he was grasping at straws. There was no way I wasn't going to win this one.

"Well maybe your soon-to-be-wife can take care of herself!" I challenged.

"Fine, I surrender!" Then he stood up, dusted the sand off his shorts and held out a hand for me which I gladly took. Suddenly, he took my face in his hands and kissed me. It was a deep kiss that I was sorry to see end.

"Are you sure you want to fight? There are _plenty _ofother things we could do to fill up an afternoon."

I smiled warmly and for a very short moment I really considered his proposition, but then I realize I've already agreed with enough of his proposals for this month.

* * *

"Told you I'd win!" Percy and I had just finished our match and were now walking to his cabin. After thirty minutes of intense sparring , I had finally managed to separate him from Riptide. I was taking full advantage of my new gloating privileges.

"You sure did," he replied half-heartedly.

"What kind of retort was that?"

"Sorry, I'm just a little too tired to try and combat your obvious brilliance right now."

"Well that's no fun! Wait this isn't because I beat you is it?"

He smiled, "Of course not! The wife always wins remember?"

"Well I'm not a wife yet."

"You will be in seventy-two hours though." I froze, trying to wrap my head around the idea of seventy-two short hours.

He noticed my pause and said playfully, "Plus, for me at least, it won't be that much of an adjustment. You're always right anyway. If anything, this just gives me a better excuse for being wrong all the time." Then he kissed my forehead, causing me to unfreeze. I hugged him tightly, tucking my head under his chin. Finally, after all of the debilitating jitters left my stomach (seriously though, _seventy-two _hours), I looked up at him and said, "As long as you remember to put that in the vows."

_I SOLEMLY SWEAR THAT THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL INCLUDE THE WEDDING! I ABSOLUTELY PROMISE!- JensonBensen (constitutes legal contract!)_


	9. Finale

My heartfelt apology appears after this final installment.

* * *

Annabeth's P.O.V

I was right. Seventy-two hours was nothing. Actually it was probably a little less than nothing. One second you're cuddling on the beach and then suddenly you're being hauled off to the big house by Rachel to look at a dress which is, according to her, perfect in every way. And not that it isn't a nice dress, in fact a gorgeous dress, but when you've spent years of your life fighting monsters, things like dresses don't quite excite you like you might want. (Gods know Rachel was disappointed when I didn't start jumping up and down when I saw it.)

But this isn't about the dress or its supposed perfection, it's about the fact that I'm in the process of running out on my wedding. I'm pretty sure no one has noticed yet which I've decided to take as a compliment to my skills rather than an insult. I'm a few seconds away from Thalia's Pine. This is actually happening. Oh. My. Gods. What am I doing? This is crazy. Oh gods, I'm practically at the border. I'm crossing the border. Why isn't anyone coming to stop me? Why am I not stopping me? Seriously, I need to turn around right…

"So is the wedding off then?" I turn around and there he is. He doesn't even look angry, in fact his lips are pressed together to prevent himself from laughing.

"I… um," gods I sound ridiculous, "I wasn't running or anything I was just…" He breaks down and begins laughing. When he finally stops he looks up at me and it's so sweet and so loving that I'm tempted to hit him.

"There's an open seat if you want. This tree's more comfortable than it looks, especially since Peleus has been temporarily relocated." For a moment I considered turning him down, especially since he sounded way to confident that I would, but then I remembered he just caught me running out on our wedding and I realized I probably owed him. I sat down next to him, but kept a little space in between. He just chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"So what, were you waiting for me?" I watched his expression carefully, trying to figure out what he was feeling. He wasn't making it easy. Suddenly an odd thought occurred to me, "Wait, don't tell me don't tell me _you_ were having second thoughts!"

He shrugged and for the first time I see a flash of pain cross his face, "But you are, and you're the smart one," he tries for a weak smile, but's unable to carry it to his eyes. I struggle to find something to say and instead settle on giving him a giant hug. At first he seemed surprised by the sudden contact, but it passes quickly and he wraps his arms around me.

"Percy, don't. You know that this isn't about you it's," I stop when he starts laughing, "Are you laughing at me?"

"Yes," he places a kiss on the top of my head, "Annabeth, you don't have to explain, especially if the best you have is it's not you, it's me. I've been telling you that you could say no since the very beginning. If you don't want to do this then you shouldn't be doing this, it's just that simple."

"If I left would you come too?"

He tightened his arms around me, "You'd have to do a lot more than that to get rid of me. How many times do I have to tell you I'm not going anywhere?" I tightened my grip on him but otherwise made no reply.

We stayed that way for a few minutes, each second giving me more confidence in my decision. Finally I looked up at him and smiled, "And Percy, you're much smarter than you give yourself credit for. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder where the old Seaweed Brain went. You know, the one who didn't have a clue about what other people were feeling."

He smiled, "Oh you know how it goes. He met this girl with these amazing eyes and a killer smile."

"Anything else about this girl of his?" I asked playfully.

"Well she does look amazing in shorts…"

"Percy!" I smacked him on the shoulder.

"Anyway, this girl was ridiculously smart and strong and could really handle herself in battle. Not to mention, she's saved his life about ten times…"

"Fifteen!"

"All right fifteen times," he says smiling, "and, even though he hates to admit it, he'd be completely lost without her."

"It sounds perfect."

"Better than perfect, actually, but there is just one problem," I untangle myself from him and sit up straight so I can see him properly.

"What's the problem?" I ask softly while reaching up to touch his cheek.

"See, right now he's sort of lost this girl. They had some plans, but he's not quite sure where she's at."

"That is a problem," I looked down for a moment to gather my thoughts, what I was about to say had to be perfect. When I looked back up there were tears in my eyes, but before I even got a chance to speak Percy was kissing me and I knew that no words were needed. When he ended the kiss he opened his eyes and smiled at me, once again I got the feeling that he was trying not to laugh. Then he got up and started to walk towards the camp. For a moment I was too shocked to do anything. When he was a couple yards away he stopped and looked back expectantly.

Taking my cue I got up and hurried to him, "So what happened to that problem?"

"It's a funny thing actually, but the Seaweed Brain just remembered that he and the girl had a date."

"Oh did they now?" it was my turn to hold back laughter.

"Yeah she mentioned something about being in white."

I groaned, "Gods you are so corny!"

"But cute, right?"

"Yes, very cute," I kissed his cheek, "Now, why don't you go and get pretty for the big ceremony, I do have standards you know." We shared one last kiss and then separated. There was just an hour and a half to the ceremony. Ninety minutes never seemed so long.

* * *

In the years following, it was readily agreed upon that the wedding ceremony of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase was beautiful. It wasn't just the flowers, though they were, quite frankly, spectacular due primarily to the skills of the satyrs and nymphs, not to mention some demigods and even a few gods. It wasn't the setting (the beachfront where the couple had spent so much time together), not that a climbing wall that spews lava in the distance isn't charming. It wasn't even the bride, who was exquisite in every way possible. No, as ridiculous as is sounds, it was the joy that was so evident on every one's face, especially the couple's.

In terms of the particulars, there was little about the ceremony that distinguished itself from most other weddings. Yes, a significant portion of the guests were at least half immortal, but, at the end of the day, they were like all other guests at a wedding, simply there to celebrate the union of two souls. It started in the way that most ceremonies start, with specifically chosen friends of the bride and groom beginning the procession. Though, it's worth mentioning that these friends, much like the couple themselves, were some of the greatest heroes of this or any generation.

When the bride began her walk down the aisle accompanied by her father the guests all stood up in her honor. And all those who saw her were amazed by how beautiful she looked. It was little surprise to anyone that her dress was Grecian in style with an empire waistline. It had gorgeous silver detailing, deliberately chosen to bring out her eyes. At least that's how one of the bridesmaids, the oracle know as Rachel, described it. As she happily told anyone who would listen, she spent hours picking it out as Annabeth was absolutely no help.

Many have said they had never seen either Percy or Annabeth as happy as they looked when she met him at the end of the aisle. In that moment there could be no doubt as to the two's feelings for each other. Not that there had really ever been any doubts before. The ceremony was officiated by the couple's friend and mentor, Chiron, though the vows were written by the bride and groom. And though no one ever admits it, almost everyone cried at some point as they recited them. Everyone does, however, admit to laughing when Percy vowed, in front of everyone, that Annabeth was always right.

The party was, as anyone would have guessed, just a little crazy. But what can you expect when you get a bunch of demigods, gods, an assortment of mythical creatures, and a few mortals all in the same place? It lasted well into the morning and absolutely no one was surprised when they realized the newly married couple had left hours before. In fact they didn't hear from the newly married couple for almost three weeks. No one was worried.

* * *

So the thing about promising something is that at a certain point you have to deliver. And the truth is the reason that this took so long to write was not because of some crisis that caused all life to cease (I mean I could tell you that a few months ago all of my finger bones were broken… then the bones in my wrist… then when they had finally healed my computer was stolen… and when we finally got it back it was stolen again… and again… and will you get the point), but was instead me coming down with a simple case of the common writer's block. This is no excuse and I know all of the writing purists will yell at me and say you should really only publish things that are already either fully mapped-out or mostly finished… what can I say, I sort of suck.

Now in regards to this last installment of this story I hope you liked it, though I totes get it if you didn't (by the way I only use totes ironically… also I just pushed up my ironic lens-less glasses and adjusted my ironic 70's one hit wonder tee). I know there are probably a lot of people who would have wanted a lot more details about the actual wedding but after a lot of thought I decided that, considering the couple, those sorts of things wouldn't fit in this story. Instead the bulk of this focused on a last minute meeting between the two because the focus of all of this has always been their love which isn't in ribbons or china patterns.

Though if you're interested Annabeth's dress looks like the one found here: h t t p : / / w w w . b e s t b r i d a l p r i c e s . c o m / i m a g e s / m a g g i e / s p r 2 0 1 1 / l a r g e / A s h a . h t m l

And also a big thanks to anyone and everyone who reviewed or will review, even the one who sent an almost flame for waiting so long to update. (Though in my defense… never mind I probably don't deserve your forgiveness anyway.)


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